Fujifilm memory cards to capture North Pole journey : Fujifilm CompactFlash cards have been selected for Adventure Ecology's epic expedition across the ice of the Arctic ocean, from Russia to Canada via the North Pole. Due to the rise in global temperatures, this ice route may soon be inaccessible by man, and the images documenting the team's journey will become our last record of this path. The team, including Britons David de Rothschild and photographer Martin Hartley, departed early March from Cape Arctichesky in Russia and are travelling across the ice towards the North Pole, then on to Canada. The trip will cover 1,240 miles and will be the first time that Britons have made the surface polar crossing from Canada to Russia.

Replacing Flash memory cards
With the team attempting to capture images in such extreme conditions, it was imperative for Martin Hartley to choose flash memory cards that can withstand temperatures as low as -50ºC. In temperatures this low, electronic equipment is put to the harshest of tests; metal conductivity and plastic rigidity are severely compromised. The explorers need 100% trust in the technology, as replacing a memory card without gloves could result in severe frost-bite.

Fujifilm high performance memory cards
The high performance cards have been designed to perform in these extreme conditions. The cards' components and metal casings have been specially selected to allow the card to be fully operational at -50ºC. In addition, the cards' low power circuitry and auto-sleep function make efficient use of the battery power of the supporting camera. This allows the card to be confidently used in environments where additional power supplies are scarce.

Fujifilm Digital Media - Duncan Way
Duncan Way, Fujifilm's Senior Product Manager for Digital Media, said: "Our technicians relished the challenge of creating products that the Adventure Ecology team could rely on in such an extreme environment. Fujifilm has a strong reputation for developing trustworthy and reliable products and these cards join a well-established range of Fujifilm media storage. The journey these brave explorers will embark upon is nothing less than historic and we were honoured to help document this trip for future generations. If we can do our bit to raise awareness of the potential impacts of climate change, then we'll be especially happy."

Photographer Martin Hartley - Adventure Ecology team member
Martin Hartley, Adventure Ecology team member and photographer, said: "As a film user, Fujifilm came to be a brand that I could rely on - it follows that I would want the same level of reassurance when I record my images on digital media. Although the safety of the explorers is any expedition's first preoccupation, getting the images back safely is our number two priority. We're hugely excited by the challenge ahead and know that with the help of Fujifilm, our equipment won't fail us."

About The Arctic
Polaris, the North Star, is located almost directly above the North Pole. Around it are the stars that form the constellation known as Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The term Arctic comes from the ancient Greek word Arktikós, the country of the Great Bear. Earth's northern polar region consists of a vast ocean surrounded by land, in contrast to the southern polar region in which an ice-covered continent is surrounded by ocean. Perhaps the most striking features are the snow and ice that cover much of the arctic land and sea surface, particularly in the high Arctic. And draped like a pair of great green shawls over the shoulders of the two facing continents are the boreal (meaning northern) forests. A wide expanse of tundra – treeless plains over frozen ground - lies between the icy high north and the forested sub-arctic.

Land of the midnight sun
One line often used to define the region is the Arctic Circle, drawn at the latitude north of which the sun does not rise above the horizon at winter solstice and does not set below it at summer solstice - "the land of the midnight sun". Other boundaries used to define the Arctic include treeline, climatic boundaries, and permafrost extent on land and sea-ice extent on the ocean. High arctic lands and seas are home to an array of plants, animals, and people that survive in some of the most extreme conditions on the planet. From the algae that live on the underside of sea ice, to the polar bears that hunt on top of the ice, to the indigenous human societies that have developed in close connection with their environment, these communities are uniquely adapted to what many outside the region would view as a very severe climate.

Life in the Arctic
Life in the Arctic has historically been both vulnerable and resilient. Factors that contribute to the Arctic's vulnerability include its relatively short growing season and smaller variety of living things compared to temperate regions. In addition, arctic climate is highly variable, and a sudden summer storm or freeze can wipe out an entire generation of young birds, thousands of seal pups, or hundreds of caribou calves. Yet some arctic species have also displayed remarkable resilience to historic extremes, as evidenced by the recovery of populations that have occasionally been decimated by climatic variations.

Fujifilm high performance memory cards - Price & Availability
The adapted expedition Compact Flash cards are not commercially available at the time of writing, however special enquiries can be addressed direct to Fujifilm UK.

About Fujifilm UK
Fujifilm London is the UK subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd of Japan. The Company was first incorporated as a limited company in 1976, having previously been the subsidiary of Fujifilm Germany. Our Head Office is in Swiss Cottage, north London, and we have extensive distribution and technical operations to the southeast of Bedford.